The present invention relates to an apparatus for the controlled storage and ripening of perishable products; more particularly to a modular system of equipment placement to precisely control airflow and temperature for effective ripening of perishable products; and most particularly to achieving the most overall efficiency in reducing labor and equipment costs.
Ripening rooms are well-known in the art for enabling precisely controlled ripening of perishable products such as bananas, tomatoes, avocados, kiwi, mangoes and the like. The fruits and vegetables are harvested immature and shipped refrigerated to distribution centers where they are matured in ripening rooms. Various methods have been employed to control air flow and inside temperature by altering room design, pallet or container size and location within the room, or even the method in which product is unloaded and loaded onto trucks in and out of the room.
Most modern ripening rooms utilize a xe2x80x9cdrive-inxe2x80x9d style rack to stack pallets in 2-tier or 3-tier placement to conserve warehouse floor space. In conserving floor space, the stacked boxes of produce reach a height requiring specialized forklifts. Contrary to the rest of the warehouse which generally employs the standardized narrow-aisle forklifts, narrow counterbalanced type forklifts must be utilized to load and unload pallets within the typical ripening room because their narrow masts will fit between the load rails of the drive-in rack. This type of forklift is required to be driven into the room each time a pallet is to be loaded or unloaded, resulting in excessive labor costs when executed at full scale. This need for specialized forklifts puts the typical ripening room at a disadvantage from a perspective of equipment and labor cost. By way of example, a 3-tier, 42 pallet ripening room may require an hour or more to load or unload, which is then multiplied by 20 or greater for the total number of ripening rooms a distribution center customarily employs. In addition, driving the heavy pallets, while raised over 10 feet in the air, down a narrow corridor between the pallet rack load rails is not only time-consuming, but also may result in damage to the forklift, fruit pallet, or other structures associated within a ripening room.
The refrigeration system of a typical ripening room is capable of producing (in British Thermal Units per pound) approximately 2 BTU/lb of produce; the determining factor in the calculation and regulation of the desired ripening schedule. In order to trigger the onset of ripening, ethylene gas, acting as a plant hormone, is introduced into the ripening room. The concentration and duration of ethylene gassing varies with the type of fruit. The amount of ethylene used is then calculated based on the volume of the ripening room.
Cold storage rooms and pre-coolers are other types of refrigerated rooms utilized in product storage. Unlike the xe2x80x9cdrive-inxe2x80x9d style pallet rack of prior art ripening rooms, cold storage rooms are usually arranged with narrow aisles for high-density storage of the xe2x80x9cselectxe2x80x9d type storage racks. The preferred narrow-aisle forklifts with outriggers xe2x80x9cselectxe2x80x9d (rapidly add and remove) pallets from the pallet rack. Fruits and vegetables requiring a lower temperature than 40xc2x0 F. may be a major cost factor. Additionally, several coolers may be required in order to properly store ethylene producers separately from ethylene-sensitive fruits and vegetables.
Some cold storage rooms are made xe2x80x9cgas tightxe2x80x9d for controlled atmosphere storage for products such as flowers, some fruits, vegetables, and meats. For instance, the physiological condition of apples can be maintained for six months in controlled atmosphere storage. Nevertheless, in addition to the heavy expense to install, these rooms promote environment hazardous to the workers who must enter the controlled atmosphere room.
Pre-coolers are designed to remove field heat from freshly harvested produce or flowers. Forced-air pre-coolers are often located in cold rooms, preferably near the harvest site. However, the expense, delivery time, and installation time of pre-coolers can be considerable.
Freezers pose further structural and operational challenges. Floors must be insulated and heated in order to prevent floor heaving. The entrance doors require enhanced insulation. Also, forklifts and human operators must work for sustained periods in the sub-freezing environment.
Thus, if a self-contained modular storage unit could be designed for the controlled ripening of products which was also customizable for related refrigeration and cold storage utilities and could be provided in a cost-effective manner which is simple to implement, provides compatibility with the standard narrow-aisle forklifts, and is without substantial hazard to workers, a long-felt need would be realized.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,160 discloses a ripening room for perishable products in which the air flow and temperature are closely controlled by the room construction and by a cooling control system that archives uniform ripening of the fruit regardless of its location within the room. Uniform ripening is achieved by circulating cooling air uniformly through the fruit. This method also incorporates adjusting the amount or temperature of cooled air introduced into the operational area to some intermediate point to eliminate dehydration or undercooling. Particularly disclosed features include an air distribution ceiling designed to encourage uniform air pressure along the tops and sides of the fruit boxes throughout the entire room, a temperature set point controller, and an air mixing chamber. U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,160 is a division of U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,084, wherein the former claims the room for ripening and the latter describes the method of controlling the operation of a ripening room cooling system. These inventions do not contemplate a self-contained structure for ripening products to be positioned within a room.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,609 discloses a method for a controlled environment for the portable storage of produce, wherein the following objectives are accomplished: initiated ripening; ripening; cooling and heat removal; temperature stabilization; and the loading and unloading of palletized fruit on skid-mounted rollers (for effortless movement once inside). The trailer apparatus is designed to hold pallets within its insulated rectilinear cabin. The invention the prior need for temporary fruit storage space which can be increased and decreased in size. It is essential to this invention that ceiling-mounted air cooling units are uniformly distributed throughout the trailer along the long edge of the palletized fruit. An air suction chamber is included. This patent fails to contemplate the further placement of the insulated cabin into the ripening room.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,153 provides a method and apparatus for ripening fruit, with particular reference to the construction and operation of banana ripening rooms. The ripening room construction incorporates a means for receiving a plurality of stacked loaded pallets in at least two spaced apart rows, a fan means resulting with air passing through pallets, and a sealing means comprising a flexible flap means. A false ceiling holds four blower fans for air circulating and conditioning. This patent fails to contemplate a self-contained structure for ripening which can be placed within a room.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,877 teaches a container, adapted to be stacked in a pallet load, for ripening of fruit during storage and shipment in a controlled environment. This patent fails to contemplate a fully self-contained structure for ripening products which can be easily installed and relocated as necessary within a ripening room.
The present invention is directed toward alleviating existing problems associated with the installation and daily operating activities surrounding ripening rooms and related controlled environment facilities by providing a self-contained and versatile palletized cabinet for the precise control of ripening. Some examples of the many elements providing improvement are the location of cooling units; configuration of access doors; interrelationship between pallets and pallet cabinet; modular footprint; energy efficiency; labor efficiency; and placement flexibility.
The present invention is predicated upon a non-specialized modular base construction unit adaptable for use as a cooler, a controlled atmosphere cooler, a freezer, a pre-cooler, a ripening room, or the like. For purposes of illustration, a ripening room will be described, although any of the alternative embodiments are contemplated. In addition, no construction is necessary in order to place several units together. The integral refrigeration and location of the unit cooler allow for ease in maintenance needs and protection of the produce boxes stored within from overhead drops of condensation. Cost-benefit is achieved through the use of warehouse standard narrow-aisle reach-type forklifts, larger, lower speed fans, and a smaller size of evaporator coils. Additionally, the design and location of the door minimizes air leakage, heat transfer, and reduces potential damage.
The modular style of the present invention offers many advantages over the installation of a typical ripening room. Ripening rooms are most often designed to fit within a warehouse area and as such are custom designed and manufactured. A ripening room can require thirty to forty man days of mechanical, electrical, and refrigeration labor to install. Although numerous configurations are contemplated, in a preferred embodiment, the palletized base unit cabinet is manufactured in two sizes, a 2-tier 24-pallet model and a 3-tier 24-pallet model. Older warehouses and smaller warehouses which do not have the interior height for a 3-tier model may utilize the 2-tier model. Standard drawings and standard parts are used for these two models. Insulated panels for the chamber walls, an integral structural support locating means for proper pallet positioning, a unit cooler, motor starters, controls, a wiring harness, and other components are designed and manufactured for minimum labor requirements providing rapid assembly at the job site. Installation of a palletized cabinet requires approximately one-half the labor of a comparable ripening room. In the construction of prior art ripening rooms, building permits must be obtained, whereas palletized cabinets are more akin to appliances and may not require permits.
Since the present invention does not require curbs or support from the warehouse structure, the cabinets of the instant invention can be added, moved, or removed as the warehouse business changes. However, relocating a traditional ripening room is very expensive and time consuming, often prohibitively so.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the instant invention to provide a self-contained apparatus adapted to provide and maintain a controlled environment, e.g. for the ripening of perishable products.
It is a further objective of the instant invention to provide a self-contained apparatus which is inexpensive to install and maintain.
It is yet another objective of the instant invention to provide a safe and reliable apparatus for storage and ripening of perishable products.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a self-contained apparatus which maintains stability for product storage at a variety of temperature requirements.
It is a still further objective of the invention to provide a self-contained apparatus which is simple to relocate as needed.
It is yet another objective of the instant invention to provide a self-contained apparatus allowing efficient loading and unloading of product and ease of accessibility via standard warehousing devices (forklifts, etc.).
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a self-contained apparatus which can be combined with at least one other self-contained apparatus.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.